Transformation or Death

Holy Power (1)

The joint attack of the six magical girls created such strong vibrations that could be seen and felt even from a distance. Not to mention the thick smoke that rose up. Anyone looking might mistake it for a volcanic eruption.

Orange Altair stroked her chin worriedly while looking at the smoke.

“Ah~ This is okay, right?”

Among magical girls, those who can use long-distance sniping magic without directly confronting the enemy are rare. Orange Altair was one of those rare magical girls.

She had heard that no matter how excellent the holy power was, its effects would not reach the sniping point. Therefore, Orange Altair was one of the select few operation participants.

The other magical girls were helping citizens evacuate or handling the reported villains as they usually do.

In a way, this was fortunate. The villain would not consider human circumstances, and while participating in this villain extermination operation, accidents could still occur elsewhere.

Orange Altair’s anxiety was not due to the small number of operation participants.

First, she was somewhat proud and very burdened by being selected for this important operation.

Second, the magic was more powerful than expected.

‘If I’m not careful, I might get hurt during the operation due to the magic.’

Even from this distance, the explosion’s impact was clearly felt. The building she was standing in was shaking.

From now on, the six magical girls would continuously repeat their attacks, and she was worried about the people on that ground.

She thought this elite team was not formed without reason.

She was equally worried about her own safety. She imagined that fragments from those magics could potentially reach her location.

“Of course.”

Yellow Castor responded in a matter-of-fact tone to those worries.

“Our magical girls are not that weak.”

Just as Orange Altair was in charge of long-distance support, so was she.

Her posture of holding and aiming a long gun showed her expertise. Compared to the Watchers’ mechanical long guns, her design was much more antique. The elegant gun barrel reminiscent of what nobles might use when hunting, decorated with six gold-embossed flowers, was notable.

“W-we are too, right? But you’re speaking informally so naturally.”

“Aren’t I your senior? Do you dislike informal speech?”

A psychological warfare. If she backs down now, she’ll be seen as a pushover! Orange Altair gathered her courage and spoke.

“If, if you dislike it?”

“Even if you dislike it, I’ll keep speaking informally. If you dislike it, you can speak informally too. I won’t say anything about it.”

Yellow Castor raised her mouth corners and smirked.

‘Ugh, I really dislike her!’

Her already low favorability was dropping rapidly. Would there be a condition in Japanese magical girls’ requirements about lacking social skills? She was starting to wonder why every Japanese magical girl she meets seems to lack manners.

“Did you think I was a honorific character because I was sucking up to Luna?”

“L-Luna?”

“Why, Luna is cute. She responds well when complimented.”

She realized that Yellow Castor’s affection was genuine from how she spoke about Silver Luna in her absence.

“Don’t worry and keep your focus. Luna and I have fought together many times. So I know. The current number of people is perfectly fine.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Your Blue Sage is capable, Red is usable, and you’re a rare sniping magical girl, right? If you’re worried because of our Mage… I mean, our Magenta kid, stop worrying. She’s not the type to get caught up in magic.”

How could she be so confident from just a brief encounter? Yellow Castor’s words contained genuine belief, not deception.

Deep down, she believed this group would be victorious.

“But don’t let your guard down. No one has even activated their holy power yet.”

The basis of her confidence was the holy power.

Yellow Castor was the magical girl who had been deployed most often with Silver Luna. Therefore, she had seen the greatness of holy power most closely with her own eyes. So remarkable that even when trying to sleep, it would naturally come to mind – a breathtaking brilliance.

Her track record had not a single defeat. Wherever she went was filled with destruction, and what she seized was death and justice. The more the city crumbled, the greater she became.

For Yellow Castor, the new star was not simply a realm.

A gift bestowed by the heavens.

The divine radiance descended upon a human body.

A blessing imbued with divine nature.

It was something like that.

Yellow Castor was a fervent believer of the new star.

‘Perhaps not as much as our Luna, but the realm of holy power is no mere pretense.’

Two holy powers had gathered. No matter how great the galaxy’s power, it would not be able to withstand this. No villain could oppose this power.

Yellow Castor was certain. No, she was fanatical.

“When we activate the holy power, we’ll be slightly affected too.”

“W-wait. Is it that strong? Isn’t this dangerous? Shouldn’t we create more distance…?”

“This position is perfect. If we fail, it’s suitable distance to recover and rescue the injured magical girls.”

Though she spoke this way, the concept of defeat did not even exist in Yellow Castor’s mind. Retreat was for the enemy, not them.

“And besides, even if the holy power’s starlight touches us, it won’t harm a magical girl’s body. Originally, even if we get hurt, so what? If it seems dangerous, we can create distance or change position while sniping. You should have that level of flexibility.”

“Yes, yes….”

Why did the conversation suddenly turn into a scolding? Orange Altair couldn’t understand.

“Ah… Well, it’ll improve gradually. Sorry, I suddenly thought of my younger sibling. Staying in one place without thinking of moving even if a villain attacks. Still, you seem better than them, so that’s fortunate.”

She felt discomfort more than resentment. Her senior was generally kind and almost retired, so she had never encountered this type before.

“If you have a younger sibling, why didn’t they participate in this expedition…?”

“Didn’t you hear me? They stay put and have no intention of moving!”

“Oh, yes….”

“Basically, long-distance fighters should learn to create distance first. You’re not like that, right? With a bow drawn, you wouldn’t leave your position?”

“Of course not. Of course….”

Orange Altair genuinely considered changing her sniping point.

***  

Ippotranslation 

***

“You crazy bastard, I told you not to come! What kind of stupid sniper does close combat?! Fuck!!” 

Odette shouted hoarsely through the smoke. Some crazy guy was holding a bow, and she thought he was doing close combat, and that crazy guy was right here.

If the enemy had approached and she had been hit, she could have understood. But that guy purposely came down near the enemy, not even keeping a 10m distance, and was planning to use Archery.

She couldn’t understand this way of thinking. 

“Even that orange bastard didn’t do close combat!”

“Who’s orange, you bitch! Try me!”

“Do I look like I’ll shut up? You called all the magical girls with your fireworks!”

“Oh, that’s a misunderstanding.” 

Boom! A huge spear flew through the smoke. Odette immediately stopped swearing and had no choice but to dodge it. 

Thanks to her quick reaction, the spear barely missed her shoulder by about a hand’s width.

Hidden in the smoke, she couldn’t see it clearly, but looking again, it wasn’t a spear but a tree. 

“We didn’t come here because of the explosion just now. We had decided to come here from the beginning!” 

She had picked up the tree that had fallen from the explosion and thrown it directly.

“What an idiot….”

“Hohoho, those without strength often express their inferiority that way.” 

A magical girl walked out of the smoke, covering her mouth and laughing. Seeing her face, Odette froze in shock.

“Looking at your expression, you seem quite surprised. I understand. Anyone would be shocked if they saw me.”

“Who….”

She was a magical girl Odette had never seen before. At least among her colleagues, there was no one with such a face. Moreover, if someone’s mental state was this unusual, she would have remembered them even if she didn’t want to.

“…Huh?”

Silver Luna, not suspecting that Odette was surprised because she didn’t know her, also became rigid as a stone.

“W-wait, you don’t know me… Ha, haha… Are villains really villains after all….”

“Hey, why are you ignoring me!”

The Archer shot an arrow towards the frozen Silver Luna.

“Fine.”

Silver Luna casually caught the arrow flying towards her.

 “…Huh?”

 Even if it wasn’t shot with full force, it wasn’t an arrow that could be caught. Moreover, it was a close-range shot. It would have been the distance with the most power in the arrow. Yet she caught it.

 “I’ll make you regret not recognizing me even after seeing me!”

 Holding the caught arrow like a sword, Silver Luna charged towards Odette.

 “…!”

“They often say ignorance is not a crime, but….”

 Whoosh. The wind blew, and Odette’s face filled Silver Luna’s clear eyes. The distance was instantly compressed. Their breath was almost touching. The arrow in her hand drew a line.

 “Ignorance about not knowing me is a crime!”

 She furiously swung the arrow like a sword. There was no great technique. She was just swinging the weapon in anger. But with just that, the ground near the sword path was gouged, and the air was torn.

 It was a crude attack, but the power contained within was by no means shallow. Odette frantically dodged the attack.

 “Ahaha! You have the skill to dodge. But this isn’t even my true feelings. Let me increase the speed a bit….”

 Silver Luna’s words were cut off because a butterfly touched her during the dodging.

 “Phew.”

 She had sent it from another city beforehand. Since it was quite far from here, it would take some time to return. Odette let out a sigh of relief. 

“What was that just now?”

“Right?” 

The Archer muttered, looking bewildered, and Odette agreed. She was a magical girl like a storm. Arrogant, but possessing strength to match that arrogance. 

That’s why it was even stranger. There was no way she wouldn’t know the name of such a magical girl. She wasn’t a recent rookie. If she were, it would have been extensively reported in the news. 

“…Oh.” 

While recalling the faces of magical girls, Odette realized her identity.

“Japan! She’s the top magical girl from Japan!”

“Who? The one from earlier?”

“Yeah, her….” 

Odette stopped mid-sentence while looking at the trajectory drawn in the sky. The same silver wave she had seen before. The line spreading across the clouds and sky was like a master painter’s brushstroke on a canvas.

“Oh, fuck.”

 Boom-!

Soon after, a silver mass of light touched the ground, and the world shook just like before. The earth waved like a tide, and the acrid smoke multiplied as if propagating.

“No way you have such an ability. I was careless in a way that’s unlike me.”

The moon flashed through the smoke. There was no moon in the sky now, but those eyes could be considered as shining in the sky.

“Well, I’ll now properly punish you. Bad villains.”

Silver Luna took her stance.

“Collaborating with the galaxy’s beasts and trying to disrupt the world, I cannot let such evil deeds slide!”

“…What?”

***

Ippotranslation 

***

“Like a comet in your heart!”

With a familiar entrance line, flames bloomed magnificently. Dust touching the heat transformed into sparks, decorating Red Vega like flower petals.

Red Vega, surrounded by flames, approached Watcher.

“Why are you here?”

Watcher looked at her awkwardly.

“As expected, you’re here too.”

The magical girls’ deployment. It was expected. The moment the Scorpion was discovered, they couldn’t just sit still.

But their arrival was faster than anticipated. This was a wasteland quite far from major cities. It would take considerable time to figure out.

Moreover, given the Scorpion’s location characteristics, several villains would be distributed across various cities, yet they precisely came here, which also concerned him.

The first magical girl to arrive was undoubtedly Silver Luna.

If a magical girl from Japan came, it would make sense. That country had suffered the most damage from the Scorpion.

Red Helios alone had suffered extreme damage from the Scorpius constellation.

“Could it be to use the Scorpius constellation…!”

“That’s not me, but someone else.”

Watcher pointed with his chin to Paradox and Botis. The Scorpion between them remained motionless.

Their eyes met, and Paradox and Botis simultaneously waved their hands towards this side. Their gesture was unnecessarily friendly and warm, which terrified Watcher.

“…Really? You seem quite close.”

“Keep it moderate.”

“Vega!”

The temperature risen by the flame’s heat was neutralized. Following the worried voice, a blue woman walked along the path where snowflakes flowed.

“…Sirius.”

“…Watcher.”

They both froze, looking at each other. Originally, Blue Sirius would have been pouring out hatred towards Watcher, and Watcher would have been defending against it, leaving no room for this.

Today, however, Blue Sirius was strangely awkward.

‘This is awkward….’

Even if they were villains, they had once fought together. He had even saved her life several times. Blue Sirius, fundamentally a compassionate personality, couldn’t simply abandon this past and hate unconditionally.

That’s why it was awkward. This was the first villain she couldn’t completely hate.

Only thoughts of how to approach this situation swirled in her head.

“…L-long time no see.”

“We’re not even friends, so what.”

Watcher chuckled.

“S-shut up!”

Blue Sirius blushed with embarrassment.

“But why are you here? Could it be….”

“Probably not. My goals are mostly the same as yours.”

“That’s right!”

Red Vega nodded in agreement. Blue Sirius glared at Red Vega. Red Vega, receiving the gaze, closed her mouth.

“This time it’ll probably be the same.”

Hearing those words, Blue Sirius sighed and moved next to Watcher.

“Your handling will be postponed again this time.”

“You’ve always done that, so what. Oh, come to think of it, weren’t you supposed to not believe a villain’s words?”

“Shut up. I’m not believing it. I’m just postponing it in priority.”

“Yet you’re essentially believing me.”

“Shut up. Want to get your face messed up first?”

Blue Sirius responded coldly.

“Then it’s decided. We’ll break through those guys and take down that vermin first. Any objections?”

“None.”

“None!”

“Of course not!”

Jason, who had casually chimed in and answered, was met with a slightly displeased look from Watcher.

“Jason, are you okay? In this fight, you’ll have to take care of your own life.”

“No problem! Trust me!”

“Well, if you say so.”

“…A villain ?”

A small girl with pink hair tied in side tails walked out from the blurred smoke. Despite the average age of magical girls being young, her appearance was particularly childlike. She might be in the upper grades of elementary school. At most, she looked like a middle school student.

“Stay away from there. It’s dangerous.”

She gathered starlight in her hand as if about to attack at any moment. Her presence was extraordinary. A red, slimy light like molten metal filled her hand.

“…Helios?”

Watcher muttered while looking at her.

“What?”

“Oh.”

Then he closed his mouth. He had naturally blurted out her name upon seeing her appearance

‘If I recognize her name right away, she’ll find it suspicious…’

Just as he expected, Magenta Helios broke her expressionless face and looked at Watcher with a confused gaze.

“H-How do you know that name…”

Then, cutting off her words, Paradox and Botis, who had been standing quietly, spoke up.

“Well, though our numbers are still insufficient. Bo, is this enough?”

“Yes, no problem.”

Before answering Helios’s question, Botis’s sword was already swung.

“Let’s reduce the numbers here.”

With a crash! The sword wind swept across, leaving a massive trace on the ground. A brutal sword path that would slice anything it touched. Everyone scattered to avoid the sword.

As his right hand moved, both left hands moved simultaneously. Wielding a spear, he unleashed countless sharp horizontal strikes. Swinging a club left rough marks on the ground as if a massive invisible staff was falling from the sky.

The martial arts of the spear weapon with starlight could ignore the weapon’s original distance and display its ferocity.

Watcher cut and dodged the approaching sword wind with his claws, rushing towards the Scorpion on the shortest path. He had only used his right hand to reach it.

In his left hand, he was gathering lightning. As the distance closed, Watcher uncontrollably released the lightning.

Boom! Crack!

A white lightning bolt struck towards the Scorpion. Though weaker compared to the Big Dipper’s power, it was sufficient to break through its shell and burn its insides.

However, the lightning did not touch the Scorpion and dispersed. A spear with a shield-like blade had collected the lightning and channeled it directly into the ground.

It was Paradox.

Watcher continued charging towards the Scorpion without concern.

Clang! The spear and claws collided.

“What are you doing?”

“It would be disrespectful if you ignore me.”

“I’m playing along with the game, right? Don’t interfere and move aside.”

“I cannot do that.”

The spear gained force, pushing back the claws. For a moment, their balance wavered, and they both slightly retreated, creating distance.

“From the beginning, I never said I would stand by and let you handle the Scorpion.”

“Ha.”

“If you kill the Scorpion, I will die. Please show some respect.”

Clang! Ting! The spear and claws repeatedly collided and separated.

“What sophistry.”

“Because I’m a villain .”

It was a meaningless standoff. They would only repeat fighting like this. Watcher placed his hand on his belt.

“Are you planning to cooperate and take down the Scorpion?”

“Do you have a problem?”

“No, of course not. But… I don’t recommend this method.”

Paradox also lowered his spear and caught his breath.

“This game is winner takes all… A structure where only the victor gains everything. A system where everything the Scorpion has collected goes to whoever kills it.”

Paradox shook his head regretfully.

“In other words, if someone other than you kills the Scorpion, that person will inherit your lifespan.”

“…”

“If you lose your lifespan to your collaborators, you’ll be in quite a difficult situation…”

Paradox snapped his fingers and laughed.

“Ah, I could solve this by killing all your collaborators.”

“You should just shut up.”

Your lifespan might decrease further at this rate.

A strong silver energy burst from behind.

‘Silver Luna has activated her holy power.’

Matching this, Watcher also replaced the components on his belt. A more ferocious, sharp gear and a bear-shaped lens.

[I obey my fate.]

[URSA MAJOR.]

“Won’t you keep quiet for 10 seconds?”

[START UP.]

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